Hostess and Wonder Bread Outlet in Greenfield closing its doors

GREENFIELD — Hostess Brands and a key union agreed Monday, November 19th to try to mediate their dispute — an unexpected development that could spare the company from permanently shutting down.

The Bakery Workers union, which represents 5,000 of the 18,500 employees at the maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread, went on strike on Nov. 9th. The company had imposed paycuts and other concessions opposed by the union’s membership.

On Friday, management announced a shutdown of Hostess and appeared before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain on Monday afternoon seeking approval to liquidate.

But Drain said he wanted the parties to try one last time to reach agreement. Drain will serve as the mediator at a session scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. Only one day of talks is set for now.

Meanwhile, a Hostess store in Greenfield is closing its doors. A Hostess spokesman told FOX6 News the store will stay open only as long as it takes to sell what remains of the store’s inventory. The store could close as early as Tuesday, November 20th.